Passengers endured an unpleasant "Delta Experience" on a recent Los Angeles to Minneapolis-St. Paul flight when fighting flight attendants forced the pilot to make an unscheduled landing in Salt Lake City.

Attendants on Flight 2598 began sparring over work rules on the Jan. 22 flight, and that escalated into a fist fight as the plane soared at 37,000 feet, the Aviation Herald reported.

The Boeing 757 had been in the air about 40 minutes before the midair boxing match erupted. A third unidentified woman who stepped in to defuse the situation was hit, the publication said.

After landing in Salt Lake City, the plane was grounded for 80 minutes before continuing to Minneapolis. It arrived 75 minutes late, the Herald said.

On Monday, Delta Air Lines confirmed the altercation and issued a statement apologizing for the attendants' bad behavior.

"The actions of these crew members in no way reflect the values and professionalism we expect from all of our employees," the statement from the Atlanta-based airline said.

The statement said the airline strives to ensure that every customer has a great experience with Delta and that it "regrets that our customers' experience did not live up to our expectations."

Delta said it sent letters to affected customers apologizing for "any inconvenience this situation may have caused."

Members of Delta's frequent-flier program, SkyMiles, were credited with extra miles. Customers who were not SkyMiles members received a travel voucher, the airline said.

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. Harlow also covers general assignment and breaking news and weather.